An Ice Age story
by Valora
Summary: Well, this is my first fanfic about Ice Age- my first one at all. Read and enjoy! MannyxEllie DiegoxOC
1. The weirdest herd ever

An Ice Age Story

That's just a story that might happen after Ice Age 2. I'm sorry if my english isn't very good. **I own none of the characters- it's just a fanfic**. Please don't be too mean, it's my first story. Just read and enjoy!

Chapter 1: The weirdest herd ever

It was midday and no animal in the whole area could be seen. It was summer in the ice age, that means it wasn't as hot as our summers are, but for the animals that were living in the ice age the temperatures were much higher than they were used to and so they hid in the sheadows of the forests where the heat wasn't that bad. All of the animals were doing something to cool down, exept of two possums running threw the high grass and the bushes at the edge of the woods.

Crash was chasing his brother Eddie but suddenly he turned and jumped on Diego's head what startled him and he jumped on his feet. Eddie ran away and left his brother with the angry tiger. Diego growled at Crash.

"Disturbing my naps is dangerous, you know."

The possum took a step back and looked for a chance to escape. "It really wasn't my fault! Bye!", he said as he hopped away.

Diego frowned. Sometimes those two got him mad. He yawned and streched his body before he started to walk off.

A lisping voice broke the silence. "Why don't you try this tasty flowers instead of hunting those poor creatures?"

"Well, I could hunt you! Besides, I would never eat them and you know that." Diego grinned. Sid tried very often to persuade him to become a vegetarian, but eating leaves and flowers made him feel sick.

"By the way", he continued, "where are our two lovebirds? I haven't seen them for hours."

Sid smiled. Manny had spent much time with Ellie since they were together and Sid knew they were mad for each other. "Probably they're eating. They were heading... this direction, I think." He pointed towards the lake, about a mile away from the cave they were living in.

Manny sat down beneath his girlfriend. She was just standing there on the shore of the lake and was drinking. He nudged her gently as she turned her glaze on him.

She smiled. She never had thaught Manny would be so gentle and sensitive as he was when they were together, especially when she first met him. The way she felt for him was perhaps the strongest feeling she could ever have for somebody, although she hadn't told him yet. Deep inside her heart she hoped he felt the same way for her.

"So what are we going to do now?", she asked while he was nuzzling her. "Everything you want to do." , he answered before they logged trunks. "Okay then... TAG!" She touched his shoulder with her trunk and ran off. Manny chuckled and ran after her. He simply loved her playful character. Finally he reached her and touched her back . "Tag!"

Meanwhile Diego stalked up to a clearing where he saw a fiew wildebeests that were grazing. He could already taste the warm flesh... Suddenly as he crawled nearer to the small herd a twig cracked and they began to run. Diego mustn't waste any time now. He jumped out of the high grass and took down a young wildebeest.

As the Saber was eating he felt something watching him, but when he looked around he couldn't see anything. "Who's there?", he called as a twig cracked again. Silence. Diego snarled and swallowed up some more of the wildebeest until he was satisfied. He then turned around to return to the cave.

When he went away a very thin Tiger came out of the bushes of the clearing. It looked around to see if it was save and began to eat the carcass.

"Ooohh, the great hunter returns!", Crash yelled as Diego was in sight. "Did you kill somebody we know?", Eddie asked sarcastically. "You're next, if you don't stop challenging me." Diego chuckled as the Possums acted shocked. They knew he wouldn't harm them. "You two are bad actors, you know that?"

The Saber smiled even more when he saw Manny and Ellie walk out of the woods.

"Hey you two!" , he called as they walked up to him.

"Hi Diego!" Ellie ran up to them and hugged her brothers with her trunk. Eddie was curious. "Where have you been all the day?"

She chuckled. "Playin' tag." Right now Sid, who had been sleeping in the cave, waddled up to them. "Playin' tag? Who played tag with you?"

"Manny did." Ellie smiled and Sid's eyes widened. "You made HIM play?? How did ya do that?" He stared at the male mammoth who was also smiling; he usually was the biggest kill-joy (is it kill-joy? I read it in my dictionary but I'm not sure) he knew.

"Well", she started, "Let's just say it was my female charme.", she answered. Diego laughed.

"So that's your weakness, isn't it? Hey Sid, why don't you try your female charme on Manny?"

He smiled evilly, knowing that Sid would just get punched again. "Okay", Sid said and then tried to act like as he was a female. "Ooh Manny, baby, could I get a ride, honey? Pleeeeaaaase?"

"No!", yelled Manny and gave him a punch on the forehead.

"Why do ya do this always? That's mean!", Sid moaned as he fell onto his butt. "Dunno, it's just a reflex."

Diego looked at his much bigger friend. He seemed so lucky and this made his mind turn serious.

"Manny, can I talk to you?", he asked the mammoth. "Of course you can."

They walked outta ear-shot.

"Manny, I found afresh track of a bull mammoth while I was hunting near the lake and it wasn't yours. Maybe he was allured by Ellie. She's in heat, isn't she?"

Manny's expression grew worried. "What do ya mean?"

He would do anything to protect her, but he really was feared if he couldn't.

"I'm just sayin' you should watch out for her. I know she'd never betray you but this male might be not as nice to females as you."

Diego frowned.

"Well, thanks buddy. You know, I really love her and I wouldn't know what to do if she got harmed."

Manny sighed.

The moon was shimmering slightly blue and the night was cold. The herd was sleeping in the cave- exept of Manny. He watched Ellie sleeping beside him. For him, she seemed to need protection; her simplycity would get her into trouble, sooner or later.

It took him hours to fall asleep, but when he woke up in the morning, Ellie was gone.

He gasped in shock, jumped on his feet and his head knocked against the ceiling of the cave.

"Ooooow!"

As he rushed out of their "shelter" he could see Ellie running into the forest chasing the possums.

"I'll get ya two!", Ellie laughed as she ran trough the woods.

"You wish!", Crash shouted as the twins disappeared.

Ellie ran and ran, but suddenly she didn't knew where she was- and she was all alone.

So, that was the first chapter. What do ya think?


	2. A rival?

An Ice Age Story

**I own none of the characters-**** it's just a fanfic**. 

Chapter 2: A rival?

Ellie looked around. Trees, trees, trees. No clearing, no edge of the woods, nothing but monotonous forest. 

"Crash? Eddie?", she called. No answer. "Anybody...?"

The mammoth walked in circles nervously, not knowing what direction she had been coming from. If just Manny would be here right now... she thought.

Although she had no idea where to go she started running. She would reach any place she knew after a while and then she would find the way home. Or, at least, she hoped so.

Manny ran trough the forest and couldn't find her anywhere. He whispered to himself. "Ellie...no...where are you?" his voice sounded miserable and desperate.

He had a bad feeling with this, but then he herd two familiar voices.

"Where is she? She was behind you!" Eddie blamed his brother. "Why do you think I know where she is? Besides, she's an adult mammoth, she can..."

"Who are you talking about?"

Manny suddenly appeared behind them. The Possums screamed in shock.

"It's, it's okay! It's just me!"

Crash stopped screaming. "Manny! Don't you ever sneak up to us like that again!"

Eddie jumped on Mannys tusk. He whined. "Manny! You have to help us! We lost Ellie when we were playing and she was behind us but suddenly she was gone!"

The mammoth gasped. "We have to find her!" he said worriedly and began running as Crash jumped on his other tusk.

Their voices resounded through the woods, again and again.

Ellie was panting. She had been running nearly for a hour and she was very tired now. Her eyes filled up with tears. There had been NO place she remembered and she felt something watching her.

Her glaze turned to a dark, huge cave. It seemed threatening and cold. Something was in there.

"H...hello...?", the cow mammoth said with a tiny voice. A shadow moved in the darkness- a big shadow. Ellie was afraid now.

Whatever it was, it seemed to be dangerous. She could hear a deep snarl from inside the cave. The female took a fiew steps back.

"Ellie!"

Ellies' ears quivered. There were calls and she knew from whom they came from. They grew louder; she beamed.

"I'm here!!", she shouted and began running in the direction the voices were coming from.

When Manny saw her after hearing her voice he ran towards her. 

"Ellie! Thank god we found you! Are you okay?"

They hugged tightly and Ellie buried her wet face in his fur.

Crash and Eddie jumped on their sister and hugged her trunk.

"Yeh, I'm ok. I was just so afraid..."

She started crying again, although she really was eased.

She was save now. Well- she FELT save when Manny was around.

They went back to their cave where Sid and Diego were waiting for them.

"Something happened? You okay?", Sid lisped worriedly.

"Well, let's just say our sister got lost... don't you think she looks eaten?" Crash said sarcastically.

Sid frowned.

Eddie laughed "Yeah, she really looks a little... Ellie, did you got eaten?"

"That's not funny!"

Everybody was looking at Manny now. The huge bull mammoth was fighting back his tears and turned to Ellie. His girlfriend seemed to be surprised of seeing HIM cry.

"If anything would ever happen to you, I..."

"Sssshhh" Ellie hugged him gently. "Please don't worry; look at me, I'm ok."

"I love you, Ellie"

Manny pulled her closer to him. They started nuzzling and kissing.

"Ok I see you're busy. See you later." Diego said and left with Sid and the twins.

"Aaaaww, that's sooo boring."

Eddie rested his head on his hands. 

"You should really learn how to relax. Just do it like... Diego over there!" Sid suggested as he leaned on a tree and yawned.

The Possums looked at the tiger who was outstreched on his back. 

Crash grinned "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yep!"

Eddie scurried on a tree and came back to his brother with a big peach. They opened Diegos mouth carefully and put the fruit in.

Crash tickled the tigers nose, he sneezed and his mouth closed with a snap.

"Eeeeeww!!What the...??" Diego spat the fruit with a disgusted look on his face.

Crash and Eddie roared with laughter.

"You!"

"...and when we came back she was gone. I never saw our mother again."

Manny looked at Ellie. They had been talking for a while now- well, SHE had been talking and he listened.

"So I talked about my family, how I grew up and my life with Crash and Eddie. But what's with you? How did you grow up?"

Manny made a grimace. "There's nothing very interesting to tell. I was born in a big herd and I grew up there."

"And nothing special happened?"

"Well, there was my mother, she... abandoned me, but that isn't important."

"She abandoned you? Why did she do that?"

"I don't know. She cared for me the first days and then she left with my father. My aunt and my uncle adopted me, but aunt Lucy couldn't nurse me, so she persuaded the other cows in the herd who had calfes to do it. When I was 15, my mother came back and wanted to choose a mate for me. I already was engaged with Millie and when Emma, that's the name of my mother, wanted to force her to leave, we ran off together."

Ellie looked at him curiously.

"Who's Millie?"

He looked in her big green eyes. A tear ran down his cheek.

"Manny?"

The bigger mammoth turned around and sighed.

"I should have protected her. Her and our son..."

Ellie walked over to him and wrapped his trunk into hers. "Manny, what happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it, not now."

Manny hugged her and buried his face in her fur.

"If you ever get in trouble, just trumpet. I'll protect you."

She looked at him curious.

"You think I can't defend myself, don't you?"

Manny blushed.

"Well, I would say...uhm...you're...not the strongest."

The female mammoth narrowed her eyes and pulled Mannys' head down by snatching his tusk.

"Oh, really?"

He made a sudden movement and Ellie was laying on her back, unable to move. She looked shocked.

"Then try to free yourself."

When Ellie laughed embarrassed he helped her to stand up.

"Don't worry, honey. As long as we're together, you're safe."


	3. The fight

An Ice Age Story

An Ice Age Story

**I own none of the characters-**** it's just a fanfic**.

Warning: This chapter contains insults and violence.

Chapter 3: The Fight

Taylor looked at his reflection in the lake. He was really handsome, charming and no woman could resist him, he thought. They just had to look in his blue eyes and they were like hypnotized.The bull mammoth styled his lightbrown hair with a bit of water and left to search this female he had seen a fiew hours ago from inside his cave.

A shadow left the cave in the darkness. It moved towards the lake and drank there. Ellie looked up to the moon. It was so beautyful.

_Beautyful_. This word had a special meaning to her. It was because she had always thought she would be ugly. Dave, a friend of Crash had told her so, although he didn'nt wanted to hurt her. He had just been a curious child. Children can be cruel.

_start flashback_

_An Opossum was __walking trough the forest, searching for her daughter when she saw the little mammoth sitting on the shoreline of a pond and staring at it's reflection._

"_Ellie?" The possum stepped beside the child._

"_Mum? Am I ugly?"_

"_You aren't ugly, Ellie. And why do you ask that?"_

_Victoria (That's the possum) sat down._

"_Dave asked why I don't look like the other possums and he said that I'm ugly."_

_Her 'mother' took her trunk in her tiny dark hands and looked in her daughter's eyes._

"_You're NOT ugly, okay? Nobody has the right to say you were. Just don't listen to him. You're beautyful."_

_end flashback_

Ellie was smiling now.

"What is an amazing young female like you doing out here at night- and all alone?" She twirled around, suddenly distracted from her thoughts, and stared st the sranger in surprise. He was a male mammoth she'd never seen before; he had very lightbrown fur and he was a little taller than Manny.

"Wha...what? Er, no, I- I was just drinking here and- I think I'll go back to my boyfriend now."

The smaller mammoth turned around and started to go, only to be stopped by the male.

"Hey, hey, why so hasty? It's a wonderful night and we could spend some time together..."

With that words he touched her cheek with his trunk and looked at her with a seductive expression in his eyes. Ellie shivered when she felt this guy, this _stranger _petting her. Now she knew what he wanted.

"Don't you DARE TO TOUCH ME!!GET LOST!!"

She punched his face with a tusk. He now looked irritated.

"What?!" he managed to say.

Ellie answered with a shaky voice "You heard me! Get lost!"

Taylor became really angry; no woman ever acted like this before his face, that was respectless! He took a fiew steps forward and snarled at her.

"You! What do you think you are?? You've got no choice! I can do whatever I want to!"

He hit her very hard fair in the face so she fell over.

"You foolish skank! We'll have a lot of fun together and if you're lucky, I'll let you go when I finished!" he said that with a nasty grin and started heading towards her.

Ellie struggled to stand up again, started running in the direction the cave was and let out a LOUD trumpet.

When Taylor heard her calling for help he rushed to her side and struck against her hindlegs. Her body hit the ground hardly and after he had punched her a fiew times her head was pulled back rudely.

"Now, where's your' coward of boyfriend? No one will help you, missy. You're my toy now."

She felt him close to her hindquarter, his weight pressing on her back. The female couln't move.

Suddenly the heaviness was taken away; a trunk was wrapped around her body and helped her to stand up.

When she got to her feet she recognized it was Manny who had rescued her. He looked at his girlfriends' bloody face and his eyes filled up with tears. The male hugged her and tried to comfort Ellie because he saw that she was crying.

"Ssshhh, it's okay, Ellie, I'm here."

Just then Diego arrived, panting. "What happened?" He gasped when he saw Ellies' face. A fiew seconds later the possums arrived, together with Sid. Crash and Eddie exchanged glances but suddenly Crash ran over to Taylor and started scratching and biting him screaming "You monster!!".

Taylor shook his head, stood up and managed to catch the little animal that was running around and annoying him. He then threw the possum into a tree; Eddie ran over to his brother but he luckily determined that he was alive. Manny looked up to the other male mammoth and Taylors' gaze met his.

He then pushed Ellie slightly towards Sid, Diego and the twins.

"Diego. Bring her to White Peak, I'll follow if I can."

The female opened her mouth and closed it again: she knew she couldn't help.

"Go..." Manny whispered as his herd started moving towards the mountains and he turned to his rival.

Taylor raised an eyebrow "Hey, I know you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're Manfred, right?"

Manny had a guess now who that mammoth could be.

"Taylor?"

He nodded. This was his childhood-friend, Manfred. He walked to him but Manny lowered his head and snarled.

"What's the matter?"

"First you try to rape my girlfriend, then you almost kill someone from my family and now you dare to ask me _what's the matter_?? You're not my friend. Go away and don't risk ever to come back again or-"

Taylor frowned "Or what? You can't fight me, I' ve always been the stronger one!"

This cocky pervert made him mad and so he decided to do something he should have done a long time before.

"Oh really??" he shouted threatening.

Manny charged forward and rammed him as hard as he could. This threw Taylor against the next tree. He didn't see that coming.

When he stood up Manny was circling him. They were still on the lake and when the darker one charged again they got into a power struggle in the shallow water.

Taylor managed to throw Manny in the water and retched him with his tusk but his opposite could free himself by kicking the lightbrown ones' stomach.

After an hour of fighting Manny got injured badly because Taylor lanced his shoulder with his tusk.

Taylor smirked evilly."Giving up?" he asked.

Manny got very angry now. The smaller mammoth snatched Taylors' head and flipped it with all the power he could raise, his neck broke immediatly. Taylor was death.

As the liveless body sank to the ground Manny trudged to the shoreline and fell down. He was really exhausted by the fight and the wound on his shoulder was bleeding rankly. Everything blured before he passed out.

**Man, I'm really not good in writing fighting scenes... but I may learn it**


	4. I'm there for you

An Ice Age Story

An Ice Age Story

**I own none of the characters-**** it's just a fanfic**.

Chapter 4: I'm there for you

The sun rose and light fell on Elllies' face. She had been sitting on this cliff for hours, waiting. Waiting for a noise, a smell or for somebody to show up on the horizon. She hoped Manny was ok, but it was the uncertainty letting her suffer most. She didn't even know if he was alive, but Manny wouldn't want her to go back, that was what she knew. Maybe Taylor had beaten him. Maybe it was a trap and he waited for her to look for Manny. Maybe he would have risked or even given his life for nothing if she went back. Maybe her boyfriend was injured and needed her help. Maybe, maybe, maybe...

"You must be tired." Sids' calm voice broke the silence.

Ellie was surprised it was him and not Diego who was talking to her because Sid usually slept at this time. But somehow she was glad that someone was there she could talk to.

"I am but I can't sleep. Not until I know if..."

A big blob formed in her throat when she wondered if she would ever see Manny again.

"I hope he's alive." Sid said with a stern expression not often seen in the sloths' face.

"So do I. Besides, where are Crash and Eddie?" Ellie wanted to distract him and herself that Manny was possibly _not_ alive.

"They're checking out the caves here with Diego."

He looked at the mammoth. Her face was swollen, she had a long cut over her left eye and dark shadows lingered aroung her eyes. She really seemed restless.

"Don't worry, he's a good fighter. I think he can handle this, but why did this guy attack you, anyway? I mean- OH MY GOD!!"

Ellies' gaze turned to where the sloth was pointing- a dark silhouette limping towards them. This shape was too familiar! She beamed knowing it was Manny and began running down the path that was leading to White Peak. Sid could hardly keep up with her speed but before she reached him he went down to his knees. He was too weak for going farther ahead; he had lost too much blood and it had even been difficult for him to make it far enough to be found. Now that Ellie had seen him his sight blured again. He felt the wound in his shoulder sending an unbearable pain up to his spine. He gritted his teeth and groaned.

"Manny!" Ellie hunkered over him and gave him a loving hug. Manny inhaled her scent and sighed assuaged.

"Oh Manny, I'm so happy you're ok... oh no, you're injured!"

"It's nothing, really" he continued speaking while he tried to stand up "don't worry, I- aaaahh" He groaned again in pain. Finally he could get to his feet but only with Ellies' help.

Sid waddled over to them as fast as he could.

"Manny! Aaaahh! Your shoulder..."

The sloth looked at his much bigger friend worriedly. Half of his left shoulder was a bloody mess.

"Shut up, Sid." Manny said in pain.

Ellie helped her boyfriend to walk and to sit down beneath a small stream.

"We have to wash this lesion. I don't want it to become infected. Sid? Could you please collect some ribwort?"

Sid nodded and left.

Manny watched Ellie cleaning his wound with a wet piece of moss carefully. It hurted a little although she did that very warily.

She whispered in his ear "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving me."

"I had to. He would have raped you if I hadn't. I mean, how could he hurt you like that?? He deserved to..."

He hadn't really thought of that before. He had killed another mammoth.

"To what?"

"...to...to die."

"You _killed_ him?"

Manny nodded. Ellie didn't even try to upbraid him when she saw how upset he was. He closed his eyes.

"Is that ribwort?" Sid asked as he returned.

"Hmhm, that's the right herb. Give it to me please."

Sid had collected a lot of the little green plants; he hoped it was enough.

Ellie took the ribwort from his hands, crushed it on a big stone and mixed the mush with some water.

"This will twinge a little."

"I'll be okay. Go on."

She started to tallow the unguent on his shoulder.

"Bah, that has to feel terrible! Poor Manny, even watching hurts!"

Manny hissed through his clenched teeth. "If you say another word, I'll throw you back to the forest!"

Manny breathed a sigh of relief when Ellie had finished.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I think I can."

She helped him to walk to the cave. It was hidden behind large, white boulders and it was big enough for all of them.

The male mammoth laid down and fell asleep soon. Ellie sat down at his right side. He seemed to be cold; he was even shaking a little. Actually she used to sleep about 2 feet away for him (because she met him for the first time just one month ago), but now he seemed so helpless that she felt sorry for him. Ellie got closer to him and tried to get him warmer. As he felt her warm body coming nearer to his he opened his eyes a bit and looked at her. She was concerned, that was obvious. Manny snuggled up to her with a content smile appearing on his lips when she gave him a loving kiss on his cheek.

After a half hour Ellie heard the voices of Diego and her brothers. They appeared in a tunnel, Crash and Eddie sitting on the tigers' back; Crashs' arm was wrapped in some long grass so he had sorta splint for his broken arm. The possums cheered in happiness when they saw that Manny was with them again.

"Woohoo! I knew it! Yeah!" Chrash shouted and gave his brother a high five´ with his healthy arm.

"Ssshhh! Please be quiet, he's sleeping! Manny needs some rest now." Ellie whispered to the twins. Eddie looked at his sister. She was happy and that made _him_ happy again. He knew how terrible it would be for Ellie if Manny would have died, besides, the mammoth belonged to his family as much as all the others did.

Diego asked the female while sitting down on the other side of the campfire Sid had built.

"Will he make it?"

Ellie smiled "I'm sure he will" she then stroked Mannys' head gently "he's strong".

Miles away the mourning of a mammoth could be heard. Angela was cowering over the huge corpse she had pulled out of the water, crying. She nudged the head of her former mate but he didn't move. The female looked around although she couldn't see very much because of all the tears, but she _could_ see a bloodtrail leading out of the forest and to White Peak. Tears were forming in her eyes again as she gave Taylor a last nuzzle before leaving him, following the trail.

"I'll avenge you, I promise." she whispered to herself.

Diego woke up in the evening and yawned. It had been an eventful day, a very exhausting one, too and that made his stomach rumbling.

He looked at the others, who were sleeping. Sid was spawled out on his belly, Manny was still snuggled up to Ellie, his head rested gently on her foreleg and the possums were sleeping on their sisters' back.

The saber stood up and walked out of the cave; he would go hunting now and come back soon.

After a while he had taken down a young deer. During his meal there was this rustling sound again in the bushes. Who was after him? He wanted to know. Diego pounced behind the bushes and lifted his paw, ready to slice the crature he had pinned, but when he saw _what_ he had pinned, he stopped snarling and looked at it – or better- at her. She was a sabertoothed tigress with a very light fur and a fiew dark patches on her shoulders and her hips. She had this smooth dark lines on her face, just like a cheetah. Actually, she was very beautiful, but she also was very skinny.

"Who are you?"

She closed her eyes and shivered as he sniffed her face curiously. Besides, she was still tackled to the ground.

"Please! Please don't kill me!"

Diego had never heard such a beautiful voice before.

"I don't want to kill you. I just wanna know why you're tracing me."

She said nothing but she still seemed terrified. He got off her and let her stand up. Suddenly she turned around in a very limber way and disappeared in the forest.

"Wow, she's shy!" Diego said to himself, smiling.

_We carry all the time in our hands, don't be afraid, cos' I'm protecting you. _

_But the anxiety for you, It grows every hour. _

_Because all the time in the world is fleeting_.


	5. Do you love me?

An Ice Age Story

An Ice Age Story

**I own none of the characters-**** it's just a fanfic**.

AN: Well...I really had trouble with writing this one, I just didn't know how to start, but ok, here it is! Please R&R

Chapter 5: Do you love me?

The sunlight shone trough the leaves of a tree near the entrance of the cave, throwing a beautiful pattern on the white stone ground. There were light brown tufts of tall grass between the bolders, dancing in the soft gusts of wind.

Ellie sighed content and shifted a little, twitching her ears as she slept. She was lying spawled out on her side, letting the sun warm her body, The last weeks had been exhausting; Manny had been very weak because of his injury, but he was much better now. Diego's behavior was very strange, too. His hunting trips were much longer than usual and she often saw him just sitting and smirking stupidly.

Something soft began stroking her side. The female opened one eye to see that Manny had left the cave and was now sitting beside her, caressing her sinuous frame thoughtfully.

She smiled and rolled on her back opening her eyes completely and stretching lazily as her boyfriend leaned down to nuzzle her cheek.

He looked in her eyes, her big, bright, green eyes. They appeared tired, but lucky. Those eyes... they seemed to captive him, to tie him to her soul with their long lashes. The shocking green of her iris was such a strong contrast to the warm brown of his. This female was something special, he had to admit he had never met someone like her before. Somebody that astounding, that wonderful. He loved her with everything he had but he was afraid, so afraid of loosing her. He didn't want her to be his girlfriend, he wanted more. He wanted her to be his mate. The thought that _she_ possibly did _not_ want more haunted him everytime he thought of asking her, though. Maybe she would be afraid if he asked, maybe she wasn't ready.

Her trunk reached up to stroke his face gently.

"How are you, honey?" she smiled.

"Much better, thanks to you. I owe you something." he smiled back. Ellie shook her head and closed her eyes again while snuggling up to his chest.

"You don't owe me anything. You saved me in every possible way."

Manny chuckled. "Do you know how awesome you are?"

She looked in his eyes.

"I don't know if I know, now do I?" she said standing up and nudging him playfully before turning to go inside the cave.

"Ellie?"

She stood in the entrance, turning her ears in his direction. Manny took a few deep breaths and cleared his throat.

"Uhm...uuh...EllieIloveyouandIwantedtoknowifyouwannabemymate?"

Ellie gasped. He didn't know if it was a happy, sad or even frightened gasp, he was too dazed by the fact that he had asked her. He pressed his eyes shut, expecting her to slap his face, to run away screaming or something like that. Neither of this happened. He felt a slim trunk embracing him and a wet cheek pressing on his own. The mammoth bull opened his eyes and saw his beloved in front of him crying in happiness.

"Yes...Manny...oh yes.And I love you too."

He smiled, burying his face in the fur on her neck and inhaling her sweet scent. This was the best day of his life...yet.

Sid hopped around in the cave, doing some kind of jig as he waddled towards Diego. The tiger was staring trough a huge, window like hole in the wall. He had been doing this the entire day and he seemed to be completely absent.

"Aaaw, isn't that cute? Manny just asked Ellie to be his mate!"

Diego didn't react. Sid repeated what he had said.

"Mhm..." was the tiger's answer.

'He isn't even paying attention! Oh wait, boy!' The sloth simply hated to be ignored!

He stepped closer, a mischievous grin on his face. Crash and Eddie looked over to them from the other side of the cave where they had been planning what 'useful' skills (such like eating bugs) they could teach their sister's children.

Sid spoke again.

"How about I stick a pine cone up your arse?"

"Hm, yeah... sounds great..."

Diego turned around confused when the twins burst out laughing. Chrash had to sit down because he was guffawing so hard. "Hey kitty, you really don't know what you just agreed to!"

Diego snarled annoyed and turned to leave. Even about three hundred meters away from the cave he could still hear them giggle.

He smiled thinking of where he'd go now. About a hour later he was already waiting for _the tigress_, a full grown dead deer lying in front of him. It was still warm.

Eventually, she approached the male tiger and purred to greet him. When he was full he still watched her eating. Diego thought about the last weeks; everytime he had hunted something down and was full she had been there, eating the remains of his prey. He had been watching her eating from behind a bush for a few days but as the time passed she grew usede to his presence and wasn't afraid of him any more. They still hadn't spoken since he first faced her. It just was a silent understanding. And: she wasn't that skinny any more. Slender, but not skinny.

He smiled looking in her beautiful dark brown eyes. She was also smiling.

"So..." Diego spoke up "...what's your name?"

She blushed a little under her fur.

"Kira. My name's Kira. What's yours?"

"I'm Diego."

They just sat there for a few minutes, smiling at each other. Diego just didn't really know what to say.

"Uhm, why are you doing this anyways?"

"Doing what?"

"Well, why aren't you hunting on your own?"

Kira's smile turned into an embarassed frown.

"I...I can't hunt. No one teached me and my father doesn't let me eat with the pack."

"I'm sorry I don't understand that."

"My...father...does...not-"

Diego chuckled.

"I mean, I understood what you were saying, but I don't understand why he doesn't let you eat with them or teached you how to hunt."

He nudged her softly as she blushed even more.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just... I'm the youngest of four siblings and my mother died when I was a cub and I have to admit I'm not really a natural hunter. So when my father tried to teach us how to hunt only my brothers learned it; he was very disappointed in me and said I was a burden for them all and I did not deserve to be fed."

Diego lifted his eyebrows. How could somebody like her just be so open towards a stranger?

"I'm sorry for you. And I don't think you're a burden."

Kira lifted her head and looked in his eyes thankfully.

The male suddenly realized the sun had set hours ago and he should be back with the others.

"Damn, it's getting late. My he-...pack...they will be worried. I have to go. Can I see you tomorrow?"

The tigress licked his nose playfully.

"If that's what you want."

He laughed a little, embarassed, feeling her rough tongue on his face.

"Ok then...bye."

"Bye."

Kira stood there until Diego was outta sight. She then let herself fall on the soft grass and giggled happily.

"I guess" she said to herself "I'm in love..."


	6. The mammoth herd

An Ice Age Story

An Ice Age Story

**I own none of the characters-**** it's just a fanfic**.

**Thanks for the nice reviews!**

Chapter 6: The mammoth herd

"Tommy! Be a god boy and stop playing with the anteater. We're leaving." The tender voice of a young mammoth cow called; the calf hopped toward its mother and they returned to the herd where the others were ready to go. Their leaderess was standing on a little hill, counting the herd members. "...24, 25, 26. Wait, two are missing. Amy!"

A very dark brown female stepped out of the group and headed for the almost complete gray one.

"Where are Angela and Taylor? They should have been back hours ago!" Amy looked at her mother for a moment, shrugged and stood beside her, searching for the two in the endless grass lands. She knew her eyes were the best of the whole herd and her mother was almost blind so she always had to do the outlook job. The young female was eager to protect the herd since there weren't many bulls with them to protect the calfs so every potential danger had to be espied soon enough to avoid it. That meant she didn't have much free time, which she didn't need because she had no mate and wasn't really interested in having one; she was barren anyways so why should she be searching for a male?

Eventually she spotted Angela but the bull wasn't seen anywhere. When the cow reached them she noticed the desperate look about her. The old mammoth stepped closer to the blond one.

"Where's Taylor?"

"Emma...he...he" her voice's pitch raised suddenly, leaving her shrieking "...he's DEAD!!" A loud sob welled from within her throat, shaking her body violently. Emma's jaw dropped. Who- or what- could kill a mammoth like Taylor?

Amy embraced Angela with her trunk and comforted her friend. The gray mammoth finally shook its head and turned to the herd once more. Her black eyes darkened even more, realizing the loss this meant to them. "We're complete!" she roared to drown the group's gossip out. "Let's go!"

Her daughter let go of the other female and stomped on the ground. "Oh please, c'mon! Leave her a moment, she already must have been walking all day just to reach us. We should let her recover a little."

Emma narrowed her eyes and growled. How she hated when her daughter gainsayed her. That always reminded her of somebody who had betrayed them all, who had always been fighting her will.

"No. We'll go. we have to migrate further west. And you..." she eyed her daughter from head to toe "...you still have to learn that we can't let the herd starve just because one of us doesn't feel well."

Amy's gaze went down shyly. She should have known better than trying to disobey her mother's orders. She had to learn as much as possible from the old cow because one day _she_ would be the matriarch who led the herd.

"I'm sorry, mother."

Emma pushed the younger one's head up with the tip of her trunk so she had to face her again. "You're above being ashamed, you should always be aware of who you are." she said in a demanding voice "And be proud of it. You're a descendant of the great Tahu, the first of our dynasty and-"

"-and it's a pity I can't have offspring and my brother betrayed us, so our family will die out, I know."

Emma shot her a glare. "Don't you ever forget that, Amy. Pride makes it easier for others to respect someone as their leader and you _will_ be the leader of this herd."

* * *

Kira gave her paw a few more licks. She was nervous. The tigress had felt a deep sympathy for this male she had met but finally talking to him had simply been wonderful. She smiled.

"Did something special happen or why are you so happy?"

Hound, the youngest of her brothers sat down next to her.

She paced and looked up to him shyly.

"I...I just found plenty to eat yesterday so I won't have to search for something new today."

The brawny male tilted his head.

"I'm sorry but I just can't believe that you are so happy just about a stinking piece of carrion. Come on, what did really happen?"

Kira looked into her brother's eyes. He was the only one in her family she could trust but the others didn't like to see them together. Looking at the sunset, she realized that she was going to be late.

"Uh, I have to go. Bye, Hound."

"But I..." he said but she had already left the cave.

After they had finished their meal Diego and Kira lay side by side and talked for a long time. About how they grew up, about what they liked or what they didn't like and about what they were planning to do in the future.

"Why did you never want a family? You're such a nice guy, I'm sure every female would be pleased to be your mate."

Kira said playing with the grass under her paws. Diego coughed a bit.

"Er, thanks. Actually, it's not that I wouldn't want a family, it's just...I'd rather live alone than being mates with someone I don't love."

"Yeah, that's sensible, I guess."

He smiled. Would that be a hint?

"So...what about you? Why don't you have a mate and cubs?" he asked, still smiling.

"I once tried to leave my family to join another pack. They didn't want me because I can't hunt. A runt like me is no use for a saber pack."

Diego nudged the tigress comfortingly.

"Come on, you're not a runt. It's not your fault that you can't hunt."

She showed him a sad smile and formed the words "Thank you" with her mouth. The male sighed. It was terrible seeing a young and beautiful girl like her being so upset. But he had an idea.

"Hey" he said, biting his lower lip a little "what about if..."

He cleared his throat. What was wrong with him? It was just a simple question, not even a very romantic one.

"What about what?"

"Er...I could...show you how to hunt?"

She stared at him for a few seconds and he shifted uncomfortable.

"You...would do that for me?"

Diego blushed and nodded. Kira nuzzled his cheek.

"Thank you, Diego." she whispered.

"You're welcome."


	7. The way home

An Ice Age story

**I do not own Ice Age!**

**AN: Sorry, I didn't update for a while. I feel so bad, waaah. But I WILL write this story until the end and if the whole world would want me to stop!! They can imprison me or anything...but, why am I saying this? You want the new chapter, right? Riiiiiight?? So here you are:**

**Chapter 7: The way home**

It's good to have a place of refuge, a place where you can go to when there is any danger... no one would know where you are, no one would follow you there. You'd be safe. But the device is still: home sweet home. Manny knew that and he knew that they would have to leave the area anyways since autumn wasn't far now. Some of the leaves in the few trees surrounding White Peak were already tinted reddish. He liked it when the forests became colorful, swaying in the winds soft whispers...he stretched his large body beside his new mate and settled in a more comfortable position. Yet, there was still enough food for them but that would change in just a few weeks. Yes, they would leave this cave, maybe even tomorrow. Ellie moved a little and mumbled something he couldn't understand before continuing to sleep peacefully. Just then, the familiar sound of soft taps of big, furry paws reached his sensitive ears.

"Hello, Diego." The saber toothed cat walked into the cave, obviously not very surprised to see his friend still being awake.

"Hi." He went to lie down at his usual spot near the little campfire that Sid, who was snoring loudly just a few feet away, had lit a few hours ago. Manny watched the tiger licking his paws for a few minutes before he spoke up.

"Does it really take _that_ long just to make a kill?" Diego looked at him, bewildered, just computing his words and considering what to say.

"Well, uh, sometimes. Why do you ask?" Manny shrugged.

"Just being curious." He let his gaze wander over the blank white stone walls for a moment. "I thought about going back to our original cave tomorrow. We can't stay here forever."

"Well..." Diego thought about it for a moment. He couldn't just leave, knowing that Kira would wait for him but he wouldn't be there. She didn't know how to hunt, she was practically helpless and he was the only one who would teach her how to change that. And he never wanted to see her as miserable as a few weeks ago again. He needed time...time to tell her.

"Can't we leave one day later? I've found a...place...I think I've been there before sometime but I'm not sure, so I wanted to take a closer look tomorrow."

"Okay then...wait a minute. You found a girl, didn't you?"

Diego's eyes widened and he blushed.

"Ssssh! Not when the sloth's around! But how do you know?" Manny grinned.

"Female instincts." The mammoth started to chuckle and Diego joined in.

"Yeah, sure. And Ellie is in truth a guy, right?" Manny grinned.

"Of course. Don't you see that?" Diego shook his head, smiling. Manny did not often make jokes, even less about himself, and he _only_ did that when Sid was asleep or somewhere else. It was like Manny's funny side liked to avoid the sloth.

"Manny, can you do me a favor? Please don't tell anybody about...her."

"Alright, I won't." The mammoth yawned widely, relaxing against Ellie. "Very well, we'll go the day after tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night..." The saber toothed tiger stared into the last peaces of glowing wood for a few minutes. Ellie had really changed his friend, in a positive way. For a brief moment he wondered that if he would change like that if he would ever have a mate. His thoughts got slower without him noticing as the minutes passed and finally, he fell asleep.

Ellie woke up as a small set of feet ran over her back, then another one.

"Good morning, sis!" Crash shouted as he hopped from her neck to her tusk and onto the ground, being followed closely by his brother. Rubbing her eyes slowly, she stood up, smiling at her playing brothers. "Good morning, you two." The cave was empty except for the three of them. She was sure Sid was outside searching for food, Diego was probably with him and Manny...well, she'd find him soon enough. Knowing what was going on in his sister's brain, Eddie chased Crash around her so he could speak to her.

"In case you wanna know, Manny's at the out-look." Ellie chuckled. "Alright, thanks." Careful not to step on the possums, she walked out of the cave and started climbing up to the out-look, which was a big, flat boulder on top of white peak. When she arrived there, she took a few minutes just to take in the sight of her mate who was standing there, his fur shining in the morning's sunlight. A big smile sneaked it's way onto her features and she felt proud being able to call him her mate. There he was, the one person she had always wanted to be with, the one her heart had always longed to be close to, even before she had even known him. She only had had to realize. Now she knew and she would never forget.

The female mammoth went to stand by her love's side, snuggling her cheek against his. His mouth's corners pulled upwards, a deep purr signaling his approval for this loving gesture. Manny curled his trunk around hers, his expression becoming stern again as he looked up to the mountains showing at the horizon. They were almost invisible because of the thick clouds covering them, but when there was a piece of them showing, one could see they were already covered in snow.

"We'll go south soon, won't we?" He nodded slowly, but decisively.

"Yes...we'll go back to our cave in the forest tomorrow and wait for the first freeze."

Ellie closed her eyes. "I wonder what life would be if there weren't all those migrations?" There was a long silence before he answered.

"Actually, I don't care where I am as long as you're with me." Manny said, facing her completely. Ellie opened her eyes again and looked down, blushing. "You're making fun of me, but I meant it." The male lifted his trunk to trace her jaw before pushing her chin up, making her look directly into his eyes.

"I meant it, too." He stepped close to her, lifting both their trunks and brushing his lips over hers softly; Ellie's breath quickened. Then he leaned forward just a little more and pressed their lips together. At first, she was a little tense, but soon Ellie melted into the kiss, moving her lips against his coyly at first, but as the seconds passed the kiss became more heated and passionate. When Manny started stroking the back of her neck slowly, she felt this warm tingling sensation spreading in her belly, which made her kiss him even harder. Eventually, they ran out of air so they had to stop, but Ellie felt like he was still caressing her mouth with his own. The two of them stood there for over an hour, just enjoying their closeness...

There was no sense in denying that Kira still had a lot to learn, Diego realized as he heard the female approaching from behind, obviously trying to sneak up on him. Not only the noise she made was betraying her, but also the direction she had chosen, since the wind was blowing her scent directly into Diego's nose. Damn, he could even hear her cowering behind him, preparing to jump.

"You're late."

"Was I really that loud?" Diego turned around and frowned at her. "Like a whole mammoth herd." She blushed, flattening her ears.

"Ready for your first lesson?" He smiled as her eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly.

"At first" he started "you gotta feel what the ground is like. This one is rather dry and you'll have to watch out for little stones. The high grass and the boulders here are perfect hiding spots." Holding his head high up in the air, he sniffed the air thoughtfully. "But for now we should find something for practice. There's a herd of caribous a few miles ahead. Come." Diego started trotting east, Kira following closely behind. While they were running, he decided to teach her a little theory at first. "Saber toothed tigers usually hunt in packs, as do wolves. Our chases are short and fast, while wolves chase their prey for long distances to exhaust it. When tigers hunt in a pack, there are beaters and the ones that ambush the prey. There." He slowed down until he was crouching behind a high tuft of grass where they could watch the caribous. The big herd was still a half mile away, but Diego didn't dare to go any closer before he had ensured that Kira knew what she had to do. He pushed her shoulders further down softly with his paw so the other mammals wouldn't see her.

"Always remember checking on where the wind is coming from. Your prey mustn't smell you. Right now, the wind is coming from the herd's direction so we don't have to worry about that. Do you have an idea of what you have to do?" Kira looked at him. "I uh...sneak up on them?" Diego chuckled.

"Practically, yes. You have to get as near as possible without them noticing. We'll just practice now, that means we won't try to make a real kill. If you're practicing on caribous, buffalos or other animals of that kind, try to avoid the horns. They could hurt you easily. And please do me a favor and keep away from mammoths, they belong to the group of most dangerous prey." That wasn't the only reason he wouldn't want to hunt mammoths, even _if_ he would be able to bring one down. Killing had become a little difficult since he had made friends with Manny and Sid, for now he knew that even the herbivores had an own personality.

"For the first few lessons we'll concentrate on sneaking up and the sprint. So just sneak up on them and when they're about to notice you, run as fast as you can. Just try to close in on the prey, but don't attack. I'll be close by. Any questions?" "Yes." Diego looked at the tigress curiously. "Why don't you hunt with a pack?" He frowned. "That's a long story...maybe I'll tell you some time later." Kira nodded. "Alright...I'm ready." "Okay then, let's go." The female took a few deep breaths before slowly heading towards the herd. Diego waited for a few minutes before positioning himself at a place where he could see the chase. As he watched the other tiger approach the prey, he had to admit she had potential. She just had to learn how to use it. For the first five times or so she failed to get close enough to start the sprint. At the sixth try she finally succeeded, though. The speedup she was capable of was astounding, as was her grace as she ran. Diego had chosen a good place for watching, she was chasing the herd right in his direction, so he thought it would be a good opportunity to get dinner for them. He joined in on the hunt quickly and Kira fell back to let him take over. He closed in on one caribou, jumped onto its back and bit its neck, tearing trough its trachea and aorta with his long teeth at the same time. With the last steps, the herbivore tripped and fell over which caused them to flip over a few times before they came to a halt. Kira trotted towards him, panting.

"That was...wow. I'm not sure I could ever do something like that myself." Diego let go of the dead caribou and shrugged, licking his blood stained fangs. "You just have to concentrate, that's all. It isn't as hard as it looks, you'll see." The female looked at the surviving caribous that were standing a few hundred meters away, staring at them in shock.

"It must be terrible for them to loose one of their own." Kira stated. "Yeah. That's why you mustn't make your prey suffer when you kill it. Most predators forget they have feelings, too."

After they finished their meal, Diego told her about his imminent departure. Kira felt rather relaxed about it though because the cave she and her family lived in was closer to the forest than to White Peak.

"You know" she started "although this was just the first lesson, I'm feeling more confident now that, some day, I will manage it. Thanks again."

In the end, Diego was relieved about how it had turned out. So there wouldn't be a problem in continuing the lessons and as long as she was willing to learn, there was a chance that she _would_ learn it.

* * *

The next day started too early for some members of the herd. Especially for Sid.

"C'mon! Do we have to go already? The sun isn't even up!" Manny frowned at him.

"It's up for three hours now. And if we want to reach our cave at daylight we have to go _now_." The sloth groaned covering his eyes with his claws.

"Will you carry me?" Looking at Ellie who seemed ready to go, her brothers snoring away on her back Manny realized it was really one of those days when you just wanted to stay in bed. Sid would only slow them down anyways if he'd walk by himself. Sighing, Manny held out his leg so the sloth could climb onto his back.

"Alright, get up." never being the one to reject such an offer, Sid climbed up and nestled comfortably nestled between his bigger friend's shoulders, falling asleep immediately. Ellie chuckled and nudged her beloved playfully. "Oh come on Manny, don't look at me like that. It isn't that bad."

"Yeah but, come on, I'm not a bus."

"'Course not, sweetheart." She said, giving him a brief peck on the cheek. He smiled at her, that smile just made him melt away.

"Okay. Is everyone here? Diego?"

"Right behind you." Manny was glad the tiger couldn't see him blush under his fur. Of course he knew he would never be completely alone with Ellie since there would always be a spider sitting in the tree above them or a lizard under a stone. But knowing that someone he knew personally, in this case even a friend, was watching a tender moment between them, even if they weren't doing anything inappropriate, was leaving an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. The big male mammoth cleared his throat loudly.

"Ok then...let's go." There was fog all over the landscape, making it look cold and ghastly. Nevertheless, a few hours later they had already made a good part of the way, but they should take a break in a small birch forest near a big lake. Yes, the meltdown had really left its traces since there were lakes, ponds and small rivers where there hadn't been any water before. Although he had been told to stay with the rest of the herd, Sid got distracted with his food and wandered off. One could never get enough of tasty herbs and flowers...

"HEEELP!" Sid looked up, scanning the clearing nervously. It hadn't been someone from his herd calling for help, but still. The sloth got curious, hastily waddling around some bushes, eager to find out who had called.

"HEELP! Anybody!! Help me!"

"Hello? Who are you? Where are you?" Sid asked, having arrived at a place in the forest where the voice seemed to be loudest.

"Look up!" He did as he was told and looked up. There, directly over his head was a little fox hanging in a tree upside down, one of his legs entangled in a long, thin rope.

"What are you doing up there?" The fox looked at him, bewildered.

"I'm hanging upside down in a tree, just for fun. I've been doing this the whole day and I just can't get enough."

"Really?"

"NO, YOU..." The small reddish animal sighed, closing its eyes just to open them again a few seconds later. "Can you...can you just help me to get down?" Sid grinned. Finally he got the chance to be the one who saved others! He pushed out his chest proudly and heroically waddled over to the tree the rope was attached to.

"Do not fear, the great and glorious Sid is here!" Like anyone knowing Sid would have expected, his attempts to climb up the tree weren't very graceful, and the little fox was having a hard time trying not to laugh. Finally the sloth managed to reach the rope and to bite through it. The fox fell to the ground and started nibbling the rope off his foot.

"Well, thank-"

"AAAAAH!" Sid screamed, falling out of the tree.

"-you." The sloth coughed and dusted off his fur. He looked at the animal he had just saved. It's shoulders didn't even reach his hip, this wasn't a predator he had to be afraid of.

"How did you get up there anyways?" The fox licked his small paw.

"It was a trap set up by the humans. You want to go to the lake for a drink, not suspecting anything and suddenly you're hanging in a tree."

"Diabolic. So how's your name?"

"My name? Well..." The fox hopped into a bush and pushed his face through the leaves so only his eyes were showing. "...some call me night hunter..." then, he jumped onto a big boulder without making any noise. "...some call me silent killer..." He jumped in front of the sloth, pushing out his white chest proudly. "...but I prefer Charlie."

"So...Charlie-"

"SID! Where are you??"

"Who was that?" Charlie asked, big ears twitching.

"My herd is searching for me. I gotta go. See you!" Sid said, smiling goofily, waddling away. Carlie waited for a few minutes before silently going after the sloth.

**Okay, that's it for now. I'll write more as soon as my schedule allows it. Hmmm...maybe I'll write a m-rated one shot about Manny and Ellie after this one's finished...*drool* **


	8. Rendezvous

An Ice Age story chapter 8:

Rendezvous

**So, I think we've got a little 'mature' content here. Well, not really, they don't really do anything, but, you know, just to be safe.**

**Ice Age does not belong to me, sadly.**

The cave was just the way they had left it. A little dusty maybe, but clean. It seemed as no other animal had used it since their departure, even the ash in the fireplace hadn't been touched. Crash and Eddie had woken up by now but they still were very lethargic. The sun would set in a few hours so Ellie took a few tufts of grass and started cleaning up while Manny went to get them some food. The two possums explored the surrounding forest, looking for anything new. Diego took off to hunt and Sid disappeared to god-knows-where.

When Manny returned with two tusks full of leaves Ellie had just finished cleaning up; she stepped out of the cave and into the setting sun. Her mate couldn't help but laugh. Her whole body was covered in dust, letting her look like a mammoth ghost.

"What?" Manny laid the leaves down at the cave entrance, stroked the tip of his trunk over her shoulder and blew the dust in the air. She chuckled, then looked up at him, mischief written all over her face.

"Manny."

"What?"

"You're way too clean!" Ellie pounced at him, rubbing as much of her body against his as she could. Laughing, he tried to shove her away softly, but she wouldn't let go of him _that_ easily. Manny retried to get away from her and so they chased each other, wrestling playfully, until they were rolling around on the ground. Finally, he managed to pin her down.

"Whew, I don't remember you being that hard to defeat!"

She bucked her chest against him, grinning.

"I was prepared _this_ time." Maybe he was just imagining things but Manny thought Ellie's voice had a light seductive tone to it.

"Hey, not while the possums are in the area!" The two of them cringed a little in shock when they heard the sloth's familiar voice. Looking down at his mate, Manny realized they were in a pretty inappropriate position.

"It's not what it looks like! We weren't, I mean, we wouldn't-" He got up hastily and helped Ellie to her feet.

Sid grinned at them, giving them a 'knowing' wink. "Ah, c'mon, no need to worry. It's just natural!"

"Seriously, Sid. Don't think I'd let him do _that_ to me yet." Ellie stated, making both males blush.

"Alright, alright. But if you need any advice with this stuff, just ask me."

Manny gave him a slightly disgusted look. "_Yeah_, of _course_! _You_ gotta be an _expert_ on that topic."

"Yeah, I know."

"That was meant to be ironic."

Ellie chimed in."That's a _wonderful_ topic to talk about, but I think I'll go and wash this dust off of me." Grinning at both Sid and Manny, who just looked at each other, she turned around and disappeared in the darkening forest. Sid laughed.

"Now that's what I call seductive!"

"Shut up."

**Manny pov:**

I went after her. Of course I did. Not only that I didn't really want to spend time with Sid right now, but I had to ensure Ellie was save; the events of the last months have made me cautious. I think I still have to get used to having to protect a family, even after years of being a herd leader. Besides, I was dirty, too. No pun intended.

At the time I reached the lake she was already in the water. I stopped in my tracks, taking in the sight before me. Ellie stood in the lake, completely soaked, the water barely reaching her stomach. The reddish sunlight danced over her wet fur that was clinging tightly to her body, letting me see every curve. It didn't seem as if she had noticed me yet, so I stayed hidden between some trees and bushes. God, she was so beautiful. If it weren't for my manners and my love for her, I'd just...ah, forget it. I find those thoughts crossing my mind every so often in the last time. I can't help it, I'm just a guy after all. I just don't want to frighten or even hurt her. It's too soon anyway.

I caught myself clinging to the tree beside me, practically strangling it with a vice-like grip as I watched my lovely mate spraying herself with water. The way she moved, the way she washed the last remains of dust out of her fur...one could almost think she was showing off a little, knowing that she was being watched. Then, I snapped out of my trance. Playing the voyeur wasn't exactly what I'd call appropriate and the last thing I could use right then was being aroused without being able to do anything about it. I slowly stepped out of my hideout and showed myself to her. Her lips, although barely visible, curled up in a beautiful smile when she caught sight of me. I smiled back. Ellie lowered her trunk into the clear water and waited for me to come closer before spraying the cool fluid at me.

"Hey!"

"What? You're gonna get wet anyway."

I stepped closer to her, rubbing my cheek against hers lovingly.

(AN: Yeah, I stopped writing this kissing stuff. Why? Because it's kinda silly and a friend talked me into it in the first place.)

After we parted again I went into the deeper water so I could wash the dust off better. I knew Ellie was watching. I could practically _feel_ her glance on my body. I used the opportunity to drink some water since we had been walking the whole day and didn't have had much time to rest. I was just swallowing the water when I heard her voice again.

"You look damn sexy when you're wet, you know that?" I choked on the water, blushing. I wasn't used to hearing such language from my mate. She grinned, advancing towards me. Ellie slung her slender trunk around my neck, leaning her forehead against my cheek.

"Come on Manny, you know I think about you _that_ way, too. And I know you're not really disaffected towards me either."

I smiled at her.

**End Manny pov**

...two weeks later...

Diego smiled at his student proudly. She had really learned quickly since her first lesson over two weeks ago and today, Kira had made her very first own kill. She was now standing over the dead deer panting, blood dripping off her slender fangs. Staring at her prey, she shook her head, eyes wide.

"I can't believe I actually did it..." Diego trotted to stand by her side, observing the deer's throat and nodding his head in approval.

"And you did well. A clean cut."

"...I can't believe I finally learned it..."

He nudged the female saber encouragingly.

"But you did and I actually gotta admit I'm proud of you."

She smiled shyly. A thought crossed Diego's mind, his own smile disappeared. She had learned how to hunt indeed, but that was ambivalent; sure, she could now catch her own food, but that meant she didn't need her teacher, him, anymore. There was no reason for them to see each other further. He _wanted_ to see her again, though, he...he _liked_ her. He coughed nervously, backing away from her a little.

"Well...I guess the lessons were...successful."

Kira's smile also disappeared as she got his point. "Well, yeah...I think so...does this mean we gotta...say goodbye?"

"That depends on whether you _want_ to say goodbye or not."

Kira smiled. "You know what? Hunting together isn't as hard as... hunting alone..."

"Maybe we could..."

"Yeah." They smiled at each other once again, not saying a word. Diego stepped from one paw to another, trying to make up a way to bypass the awkward silence between them.

"Weather's been nice the past days." 'What? Weather? Now that's just plainly stupid' he thought to himself. Kira shook her head.

"You don't need to force yourself to do any small talk, you know? Come on, let's eat." Diego smiled, relieved.

**So... this one is very very short, but the next one will be longer, I promise**


End file.
